Posted: 9/30/2011 12:27:17 PM EDT
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A lot of us have to practice at indoor ranges, which creates an issue of how to time yourself. The shot timers we use in shooting tend to be problematic at indoor ranges where other people are practicing. There are many shooters there, which interferes with the timing, and make it difficult to hear the beep due to all the gunfire. Shot timers are also more costly than most people want to spend. An interval timer like the Gymboss http://gymboss.com/ seemed like a workable solution.
To find a way of working around these issues, I ordered a Gymboss. It costs $19.95 plus $2.95 shipping. That's a lot more palatable than the $130 or so that a shot timer costs. I ordered it Monday and it arrived today (Friday) so their turnaround time is quite good. Immediately, I started working out how to use it for firearms training. The instructions are reasonably clear and seemed to be written by a native speaker of English. Nothing like "The thing of the proper way of using is not in this product" as found in some other products I have purchased. A useful feature of the Gymboss is that it vibrates in addition to beeping. This seemed a good way to get around the noise issue of indoor ranges. It works. I set it to 1 second BHV (Buzzer High Vibrate) and clipped it to my pants inside the belt. The vibration is very noticeable as a start/stop signal. It also allows you to set 2 different intervals that repeat up to 99 times. The way to use it is to set the 1st interval for whatever amount of time you need to reload or make ready. Then set the 2nd interval for whatever time you allot for shooting. Finally, set the number of intervals you want to do. When you press the Start button, you will have the first interval as ready time to pick up or draw your weapon. After the first interval, you will get another beep/vibrate. That's your signal to start shooting. At the end of the interval, time's up; stop shooting. Make ready during the next interval and get ready again. You will then get another BV as your start signal. At the end of your intervals, it will go into a series of BVs to let you know the series has ended. Hold the Start button to silence it. Time is a critical component of defensive training that many people don't work on for a variety of reasons. This little timer has a lot of potential to help with that at low cost. There are many uses I can see for it. It would be great for draw practice, either livefire or dryfire. The standard that used at the Rogers Shooting School in Ellijay is that instructors have to be able to draw and hit an 8 inch head plate at 7 yards in 1.5 seconds from a Level III security holster. We suggested that with an open top holster a more realistic standard was 1.3 seconds. Those times should give folks a benchmark to work toward. Professional disclaimer: Drawing from a holster can be hazardous and I assume no liability for any injuries that are sustained during live fire draw practice by any users, and especially Serpa users. |